Federal Judge Strikes Down Pennsylvania's Ban on Same-Sex Marriage

For the second day in a row, a federal judge—this time in Pennsylvania—has struck down a state ban on same-sex couples’ marriages. Less than 24 hours after U.S. District Court Michael McShane—an Obama appointee—struck down Oregon’s state constitutional amendment barring same-sex couples from marrying, U.S. District Court Judge John E. Jones III—appointed to the bench by President George W. Bush in 2002—reached the same ultimate conclusion in Pennsylvania. “We now join the twelve federal district courts across the country which, when confronted with these inequities in their own states, have concluded that all couples deserve equal dignity in the realm of civil marriage,” Jones wrote. Like McShane in Oregon, Jones provided for no stay of his ruling, meaning it goes into effect—and same-sex couples should be able to marry—immediately.